Equals in Daughters
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: I love stories where Luke, Lorelai, Rory and April can be together as a real family! I think that is the value in April's character - she truly makes Luke and Lorelai equals, as parents and as individuals. The Birthday Party by Elseajay, for example, is one of the best with this theme. Also, the two fics by StarsHollowGazette2010. Partially inspired by those, I wrote this. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Seek Him Out

**Chapter 1: Seek Him Out**

"Are you sure she'll be fine here?" Anna Nardini asked her brother Steve for the umpteenth time.

"Anna, it will just be for one night. We'll be fine. Go to your meeting!" Steve admonished her with a smile.

12-year-old April Nardini was on the couch, the flickering lights of a television program dancing on her face. Anna went over to her daughter and placed a fierce kiss on her forehead. "Now you be good for your uncle, and you do what he tells you."

April sent Anna an easygoing smile. "Yes, Mom."

"I love you, my precious."

April smirked. "Gollum, Gollum..."

"Oh stop it!" Anna laughed, turning back to hug her brother. "Thanks, Steve! I'll call you when I get there!"

"Bye, sis." Steve closed the front door, before plopping onto the couch next to his niece. "Just you and me tonight, _tesoro_. What are you watching?"

"Double Jeopardy."

"Ooh, Alex Trebek?"

April laughed. "The movie, Uncle Steve, not the show!"

"Oh." Uncle and niece fell into silence as they observed Tommy Lee Jones leaping into a car before it got driven off the edge of a ferry. "You know, I always thought Ashley Judd looked a little like your mom."

April giggled.

* * *

April fell asleep in the middle of the movie, so Steve carried her up to bed. It was deep night when the little girl woke up to go and get a drink of water. On her way back, she paused on the landing when she heard her uncle's voice downstairs.

"I can't leave now, Officer, I am watching her child! I am not leaving April in an empty house. Look, if I can be of assistance... bring her to my lab and I can perform identification there. I am a scientist, sir... Of course. Thank you, Officer. Goodbye."

Confused, April ran back to bed, fearing the worst.

* * *

The next morning, April trudged downstairs to breakfast. Her uncle was already at the table, with a cold cup of coffee in his hands. He looked pale, with dark circles under his eyes, making April wonder if he had slept at all.

"Where's Mom?" April dared herself to ask, flashing back to the conversation she had overhead.

Steve met her eyes, looking utterly broken. April returned the gaze intensely, her heart rate speeding up.

"Your mom..." Steve cleared his throat loudly, trying to mask the crack that seemed to come into his timbre, but this only sent April into more of a panic. She didn't think she had ever seen her uncle cry. Ever. "Your mom got carjacked, sweetie. On the way home from her meeting. When the officers found her, there were multiple gunshot wounds. She's... she's gone, _tesoro_."

April stared at him blankly, her mind whirring. What was she supposed to feel? She berated herself for not yet bursting into tears on the spot. She gulped heavily, and in the tempest that was her brilliant mind, she leapt to one train of thought and seized onto it.

Her mother was gone... but there was someone else...

"Uncle Steve, I need to find my father. Now."

Steve stared at her. When his sister had fallen pregnant, she had been unable to tell him who the father of her baby was. Only that she had been with three different men at around the same time. Anna had not found her brother's subsequent joke about Mamma Mia very funny. But she had told him she remembered the names of each of her lovers, even kept pictures of them. Pictures that were now stored in a secret compartment in her dresser.

April appeared determined, resolute. If this was her way of beginning to grieve for her mother, than it was better than his niece sinking into a depression. And April had asked Anna about the identity of her father for years, never receiving a satisfactory answer. There seemed to be no better time than now for April to receive closure. The consideration of what Anna's wishes would have been was only briefly entertained by Steve. Surely, his sister would give her blessing, in this situation?

And so, he rose from his seat. "Come with me."

Steve led his niece back to her house, and they got in with little trouble. Steve then opened the hidden compartment in Anna's bedside table. Inside were three photographs, each one stapled to a marked envelope.

April held up the first one. A young, well-built man in a flannel shirt and a backwards baseball cap stared back at her. He appeared handsome, rugged, mysterious. Turning to her uncle, April's eyes gleamed with excitement and hope. "Will you help me with a science experiment, Uncle Steve?"

Her uncle, who had always been thrilled by April's love of science, nodded. "They don't call me Dr. Nardini for nothing."


	2. Chapter 2: Decisions

**Chapter 2: Decisions**

Luke Danes kept his hands firmly on the wheel, even as he periodically peered out the window, checking up and down the street as he advanced through the residential neighborhood at a leisurely crawl. He was certain the directions were correct. The directions the little girl, April, had given him at the science fair.

The little girl who was apparently his _daughter_. His and Anna Nardini's daughter.

It had been about a year after his father had died. Liz and Jess had disappeared again, up to somewhere in New York. Anna had been passing through Stars Hollow, checking out some of the empty properties to see about opening a jewelry store. At that time in the 1990s, Stars Hollow had been pretty off-the-beaten trail, barely worthy of a dot on a map. It still was a sleepy little town, twelve, thirteen years on, but the tax base was growing decently, now more of a satellite town for the bigger hotspots of Hartford and Woodbridge. As he remembered it, Anna came into the Diner (which hadn't been open for very long) and ordered a cup of coffee. Despite his reserved nature, she had gotten him to talk in a way that no person had yet been able to, and that no other woman would do again... except for one. Luke had taken her out to drinks, small meal dates, for several weeks. And every night, he and Anna would return to the Diner and make love, raw and hot, anguished. Pillow talk was like a burst dam, and they began to learn about each other's deepest pains. Both had lost their fathers about the same time, very early on in their lives. Had siblings who were on a different life track, though in Anna's case, her siblings were far more successful than she was. At least that had been her opinion. She had a brother who was a geneticist; that memory had been jogged when April had first appeared in the Diner and mentioned her uncle.

Ultimately, however, the fling hadn't lasted. In the end, Anna had come up empty at finding a suitable storefront, and had moved on. Luke squirmed to think about the relationship now, especially the sex. It wasn't as though he hadn't cared for Anna, he had. Had he loved her? No. Rifling through those memories now made him feel... unfaithful somehow. It had been a time for two lonely people to find some solace in each other.

And April was the result.

There it was! Luke almost overshot the driveway, the tires of his green truck squealing in protest as he made a sharp left, barely making the turn as he inclined up to a quaint little brownstone. Woodbridge was a wealthy municipality, but not in the flaunting, flashy way of nearby Hartford. From the stories that Lorelai had told him, Hartford was like landing on another planet.

Cautiously, Luke approached the front door and knocked. For the first time, he realized that he had come ill-prepared for what he was going to say. He hadn't seen Anna in over a decade. What would they say to each other?

The click of a lock turning jarred Luke from his thoughts, and he straightened. But instead of Anna, a gentleman in glasses appeared before him. A white lab coat was across his shoulders. He looked to be about Luke's age, with the beginning of wrinkles creasing his face.

"April had a feeling you would come. She places strong faith in most people." The man held out his hand. "Dr. Steve Nardini."

"Luke Danes," Luke returned the greeting.

"I'm April's uncle. Come on in."

Luke followed Steve through a eclectic foyer, then turned into a quaint kitchen. It wasn't as homely as Lorelai and Rory's, nor as antiquated in its aesthetics, but it was inviting enough.

"Can I get you anything?" Steve called over his shoulder, as he busied himself over by the coffee pot. Luke noted the more... effeminate way that he held his hands. He said nothing, though. Stars Hollow had its fair share of LGBTQ people. Gypsy had been out for years. Taylor was not, the rumors of his orientation having long swirled. But even the nosy types like Ms. Patty or Babette knew better than to out someone, even a pompous gasbag like Taylor. And really, nobody cared. Lorelai and Rory certainly didn't. Neither had Luke's parents, and that had been at a very different time in history. Luke would follow the example of his loved ones.

"No, thank you," Luke gently declined. Steve poured himself a mug and sat across from the flannel-clad gentleman in front of him. The results of the genetics test had left him surprised... but also pleased and somewhat relieved. He had mentored and guided April closely during the more refined parts of the Procedure, and upon the results coming back...

"I'm glad it turned out to be you," Steve admitted quietly. "The other two men in Anna's life at that time... let's just say she didn't dwell on them as much, and what she did disclose was mostly unflattering. But you... she... she hasn't had one negative thing to say about you."

Luke picked up on the interesting change in tenses, but again, said nothing. Just then, a clattering of feet made him turn around.

And there she was. His child. April broke into a huge grin. "Dad!" She ran into his arms. It was only the second time they had embraced, but Luke put on his best performance by pretending not to be as uncomfortable with his new affection than he actually was. It had taken him years to show affection towards Rory - a young woman who was not even his own daughter. Plus, he did not want Steve to think any less of him if some tension was displayed.

"Hey, kid. Where's your mother?"

He felt her stiffen. Break away from the hug too quickly. Steve was suddenly looking into the contents of his mug like he wanted to drown in it. Luke felt his heart constrict, as several disparate pieces of a puzzle he hadn't known he was putting together started to click into place.

"She's dead."

April's voice was flat, monotone, leaden. She was looking straight at her father, but it seemed to take great effort on her part. In this tableau, for the first time, Luke saw something of himself inside of her. The Danes mentality of putting up walls, masking your emotions and dealing with them internally. In the brief day or two when he and Lorelai had broken up, Luke had drunk himself into his misery. When Rory had gotten into that car crash with Jess, Luke had taken the anger out on his nephew to avoid going crazy with worry about the angelic girl he loved so much.

Steve now broke the silence. "April, _mi tesoro_ , would you mind going upstairs, please? You can watch some TV for a bit, and then start on your homework."

April obeyed. Luke turned back to Steve, curious. Steve chuckled at his inquisitive frown, though it was forced.

"You'll have to forgive me. Some of us in this family are _very_ Italian."

"Is April bilingual? Does she know Italian?" Luke found himself wanting to learn everything he could about his daughter.

"If I had raised her? Oh yes, she would be," Steve rose to wash out his cup. "Anna didn't care for the traditions as much, so she didn't immerse April in that when she was a baby. April knows some small phrases from me, though." A thought coming to him, the scientist fished out his wallet, procuring a small Polaroid. "This is when she was about two."

Luke stared at the image, captivated. It was a snapshot of April toddling along the banks of a lake, trying to chase down some ducks so she could feed them. In the background, Anna's face was frozen in a laugh, her eyes full of love. The Diner owner felt his own eyes swim with tears. How much he had missed... April had been a beautiful baby, no question of that. Just as pretty and enchanting as Rory, if not more so, and Luke had seen pictures of Rory as a baby. His future stepdaughter had looked like a Gerber model.

"Keep it," Steve encouraged. "I have another copy."

His gaze scanning back to Anna, the Anna he had known, Luke felt his heart constrict. "What... what happened?"

Steve sighed, collapsing back into the chair across from Luke. "A few weeks ago, Anna asked me to watch April here while she went to a meeting for jewelry store owners. Something about the laws changing for vendors selling jewelry. It was up north of here. You wouldn't happen to know the shopping center off Glenwood Avenue?"

Luke, in fact, did know the place - as shopping centers go, it was seedier than most. The architecture featured overhanging enclaves, shadowing some corners in darkness at night - a petty criminal or drug addict's paradise. Once, when the Gilmore girls had wanted to go up there and do some shopping, Luke had categorically refused to even let them out of the house unless he went with them. Two pretty young women like Lorelai and Rory - they'd have targets on their backs. Robbery. Or worse. Luke shuddered to think of it.

"As she was leaving, going through the lot to go out, she got carjacked," Steve was saying. "Dragged from the car and shot multiple times. By the time the cops found her..." His voice choked up. "She was gone."

Luke sighed heavily. Poor, poor Anna.

"While we're on the subject, finding you has been a prayer answered. You and I have some decisions to make..."

"Why didn't Anna tell me?" Luke interrupted. He silently chastised himself for the comment. Who was he to presume what Steve knew? But the picture, and the babysitting story, told him that perhaps, in Anna's situation, she would have had to turn to somebody to help raise her baby. Steve, her brother, seemed like an obvious candidate.

Steve breathed out deep through his nose. "Anna always had a very independent streak. You might remember that. A stubborn, strong soul."

Luke chuckled. "That I do. I'm engaged to be married to one."

This peaked Steve's interest, as one eyebrow was sent disappearing into his hairline. "Congratulations. When's the wedding?"

"June 3rd, but it might be postponed."

"Oh?"

Luke paused for a moment, deciding to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to reveal too much, in respect of Lorelai, but if this was going to concern April, Steve probably should know. "My fiancé and... my stepdaughter just reconciled after a brief estrangement. Right around that time, April found me. I'm going to tell them when I get home tonight, but while they were repairing their relationship a couple weeks ago, I didn't want to overwhelm them."

Steve nodded. "I see. How old is your stepdaughter?"

"Rory's 21. But don't worry - she's a lovely girl, and I am sure will be very accepting of April. She came from... a previous relationship of my fiancé's. The father is largely out of the picture."

This made Steve duck his head for a moment. "I'm sorry that you were never informed," he almost whispered.

Luke kept his emotions about that particular wound down, merely shaking his head. "It's not your fault. It was Anna's decision."

Steve now got back to his main points. "Thank you for telling me about your family situation. It's very encouraging."

"Encouraging?" Luke's brow furrowed.

Steve once again looked apologetic, almost sheepish. "You know I will always love April like she's my own," he began. "That little girl has a future in my line of work, and it has been a joy to see. But... I have recently been promoted at my lab. A major project has been assigned to me, which will make me work long nights and sometimes weekends. I wouldn't be home until long after April's back from school. If you were OK with it, if there is a chance for her to grow up in a more complete home, which you seem to have..." and his voice dropped to a whisper. "I would not feel any qualms about ceding guardianship of April over to you."

"So Anna appointed you guardian in her will?"

"She did, yes; I just got off the phone with the executor this morning."

Luke nodded. "That is very... brave and considerate of you, Steve. Thank you. I will have to discuss it with my fiancé and stepdaughter first, but I don't think there would be any issues there."

Steve looked very grateful. "It is such a relief that April will have a stepmother. A sibling for her to play and hang out with."

Luke chuckled. "If my daughter is anything like Rory - and I think she is - they'll lock themselves in the Stars Hollow library all day."

Steve joined in the laughter. "I would love to meet Rory and your fiancé sometime."

"Of course," Luke promised. "And Steve, you know you can see April whenever you want, right?"

"If that's OK...?"

"Absolutely it is!"

"She'll stay with you for now until we can get the legal paperwork drawn up?" Luke asked. "It's just that I have a loft apartment above my diner, and it's small, even for two people. Besides, I don't use it as much anymore since moving in with Lorelai."

Steve waved a hand. "She can stay with me. We will be going out to New Mexico next week, though, just so you're aware. To see her grandmother. She's... ailing. Alzheimer's, you know."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

The two men stood and shook hands. Then, Steve called up the stairs. "April, honey? Can you come here for a moment, please?"

April dutifully rejoined her father and uncle in the kitchen. Steve leaned down so he was eye-level with her. "You'll be staying with me for now, but your father and I have been talking. Eventually, soon, you will be going to Stars Hollow to live with him. But we have some details to iron out first. It won't be for a couple of months. OK?"

"OK," April said simply. Turning, she hugged her father tightly.

"I'll see you soon, kid, I promise," Luke vowed. He didn't want to her let her go, even under the promise that she was about to become a more permanent presence in his life. He shook Steve's hand again. "Steve."

"A pleasure, Luke," the doctor smiled. "April's lucky to have you."

Luke beamed down at his daughter. "The feeling is entirely mutual."


	3. Chapter 3: His Girls

**Chapter 3: His Girls**

That evening, by the time Luke had finished the whole sorry tale, both Lorelai and Rory Gilmore were sniffling and frantically dabbing at their eyes.

"Oh, my God!" Lorelai hiccuped. "You finally reproduced!"

"That poor kid!" Rory wailed. "She just lost her mother, and the only thing I've lost is my mascara!"

Lorelai turned to her soon-to-be husband. "Are you saying you want April to live here, with us?"

"Yes. That is exactly what I'm saying." Luke looked from one woman to the other. "Would you both be all right with that?"

Rory nodded eagerly. "She can take my room. I don't care if you have to throw out the rest of my stuff and put it in the garage!"

Luke chuckled through his throat threatening to clog up. "I doubt that will be necessary, princess."

"Luke's right, sweets. We have the guest bedroom upstairs. It shouldn't be that difficult to convert into a bedroom. A paint job, perhaps, in April's favorite colors."

Luke immediately pounced. "You are _not_ going to get paint chips and have Paul Anka pick out the shades!"

"Whoever said I was?" Lorelai asked, pointing to herself with mock innocence.

"Since you tried to make us live in a tomato by painting every square inch of the living room fire-engine red," Luke deadpanned. Rory giggled.

All three stood up from the kitchen table and warmly embraced. "I love you both. _So much_ ," Luke got out.

"Luke, she's your daughter," Rory pointed out. "What did you think we were going to say? No?"

"I shouldn't have doubted it," Luke smiled. He kissed Rory's forehead. "I love you, baby."

Rory returned to her room to call Lane, while Luke headed into the living room, Lorelai following. "I'll have to discuss with Steve if April can still stay at her school. I'll only transfer her from Martin Van Buren if I absolutely have to; she's had enough upheaval as it is..."

"Was she pretty?" Lorelai suddenly blurted out.

"Hmm?" Luke turned his head a fraction as he concentrated on filling Paul Anka's food bowl.

"Anna. Was she pretty?"

Luke replaced the giant bag of dog food, standing up slowly. After a long moment, he admitted, "Yes. In an Ashley Judd kind of way."

Lorelai quirked an eyebrow in interest, even as her mouth also upturned into a smirk. "You're learning fast, Butch," she teased, praising his pop-culture reference.

"But... she wasn't beautiful... like you."

At his compliment, Lorelai blushed furiously, before sidling up to her boyfriend and kissing him gently. Luke gazed at her, his eyes heavy with love.

"Are you sure you're all right with this?"

"Of course I am! Luke, April is your daughter. She's a part of you, and I love you. Ergo, I have to love her; I can't help it!"

Luke smiled and pulled her closer against him. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Hmm. So I've been told." Lorelai ran her fingers through his hair, under his ballcap.

"Well, one good thing has come out of this for us."

"What's that?"

"You and I are finally equals, in a way. We've both sired daughters, just with other people."

Lorelai considered this. "Does that bother you?"

"God, no! Look, you know I despise the bastard, but Christopher gave you Rory, and without Rory..." He couldn't finish the thought, the possibility felt so incomplete and wrong. After a moment, he ventured: "Does it... bother you? That I had April with Anna?"

"Absolutely not!"

"It's just that... I almost feel... unfaithful somehow. Does that make any sense?"

"Not really," Lorelai chuckled. "But then again, when have you _ever_ made sense?"

"Don't push it," Luke growled, though his eyes betrayed his amusement.

"What are we talking about?" Rory asked as she wandered in from the kitchen, off from her phone call with Lane.

"Mr. True Blue here is wondering if having a daughter with another woman makes him unfaithful somehow."

"Are you kidding me, Daddy Luke? It was a long time ago, and this woman never told you! How could you be...?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. Just... you know I will always still love you, right, Rory? And your mom?"

Rory smiled. "Of course. As long as you give me pancakes whenever I want them."

Luke smirked. "You got it, kid."

* * *

The following week, Luke received a call from Steve Nardini. He and April had just returned from New Mexico, and Steve was hoping to bring April to Stars Hollow to meet Lorelai and Rory. Luke readily agreed, arranging for the introductions to be made at the old Independence Inn, what he thought would be neutral territory. The two parties met in the lobby of the old hotel (Lorelai still had a key).

Lorelai stepped forward with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Nardini." "Steve, this is my fiancé, Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Rory," Luke introduced.

"Pleasure's all mine." Steve looked between the Gilmore girls. "My goodness, I can see the resemblance! It's uncanny!"

Luke beamed at Rory with pride. "Yes, she is very much her mother, but she has some hints of her father in there that add to her beauty."

Lorelai and Rory's mouths both dropped open simultaneously, even while Rory's face blushed scarlet.

"Who are you and what have you done with Luke Danes?" Lorelai demanded.

"Yeah, and where the hell do I look like my dad? Aside from similar left earlobes?" Rory chimed in.

Luke studied his stepdaughter closely. "Shape of the face, cheekbones. Your smile. Nose, a little bit."

"You should have been a geneticist," Steve cracked to Luke dryly.

Rory, meanwhile, took in her stepfather's compliments. "Thank you," she replied meekly.

Luke now moved to introduce his family to April. "April, sweetie, this is Lorelai. She's going to be your stepmother. And Rory is going to be your new sister."

April was unusually withdrawn, but still polite, as she shook hands with each of the girls. "Hi. It's nice to meet you."

Lorelai beamed, trying to put the child at ease. "It's so wonderful to see you finally, April," she soothed softly. "You're so pretty, like your Daddy."

Both father and daughter simultaneously flushed crimson, as Luke felt the need to mutter, "I am _not_ pretty."

"Oh, yes, you are." Smiling in bemusement, Lorelai - ever the hostess - moved to change the subject. "Why don't we all move into the kitchen? My friend, Sookie, has put some lunch on the table..." The girls moved towards the dining area, but the men hung back.

"Wow, that Rory! You said she goes to Yale? She's perfect," Steve gushed.

Luke couldn't help but let out a bark of a laugh. "I can assure you that Rory is not perfect. No one is. But she's a damn good kid."

"I'll say! Impeccable manners. Lorelai must have won the lottery, raising her!"

"Not quite, Steve. Loreai had Rory when she was 16. I once had to rush into a room to keep Rory from making out with a boy. And she recently stole a boat."

Steve's eyes widened. "You're making that up!"

"Oh, no I'm not. You wanna know what I'm also not making up? Until Rory was ten, she and her mom lived _there_." And he pointed out the window to the potting shed on the back lawn. Now Steve almost fell over.

"They lived... in _that_? A shack?"

"Lorelai started as a maid here when Rory was a baby. Worked her way up to running the place."

"Wow," Steve breathed. At that moment, Lorelai emerged from the kitchen. "You are an amazing woman," Steve went out of his way to tell her sincerely. Then he went to find his niece. Lorelai approached Luke, smile crinkled in amusement.

"Did your pseudo brother-in-law just make a pass at me?"

"Hardly. I don't think he swings that way," Luke dryly confided.

Intrigued, Lorelai's eyes gleamed. "Ooh, we should totally set him up on a blind date with Taylor! And start a betting pool on whether they kill each other or go for a roll in the hay!"

"There will be no betting pools! And we're not setting _anyone_ up on a blind date with Taylor!" Luke growled. "I wouldn't wish that pompous windbag on any woman, never mind a man! Steve can do way better than him."

Lorelai pouted. "You're no fun!"

Luke jerked his head back to the kitchen. "How's April doing?"

"She's a little shy, but starting to open up, I think. Really quite the science nerd. Rory's engaging with her."

Luke smiled gratefully. "God bless that girl."


	4. Chapter 4: Dreams

**Chapter 4: Dreams**

 _He was in a long hallway. A hospital ward, by the shape of it. The smell. Luke found himself wandering down the long stretch of corridor, taking in the sights and sounds._

 _All at once, he nearly collided with a gurney stretcher as it came barreling down the hall. The occupant flashed by so that he almost didn't see who it was. Almost. He saw her eyes, and started. Those eyes... he_ _knew_ _those eyes._ _ **Rory's**_ _eyes..._

 _All at once, he had no idea how he had gotten down the hall, but he suddenly found himself in a room. Hospital bed in one corner. And yes - the woman now screaming and wailing in the agony of childbirth was the teenage version of the woman he loved. Lorelai's screams were soon joined in chorus by the piercing shrieks of an infant..._

 _He moved through space amorphously yet again. He was now standing in front of a long window, behind which sat rows and rows of newborns. Turning his head, he nearly jumped a foot in the air when he saw who was next to him._

 _It was_ _ **Christopher**_ _. Except it didn't look like Christopher at all. The Christopher he knew had swagger, teenage boy arrogance, wore a leather jacket, rode a motorcycle like he had a death wish. This younger version of Rory's father wore a turtleneck and now possessed the countenance of a mouse, head bowed, eyes darting about like he was trapped._

 _On his other side was Lorelai in all her transfixing beauty, solemn and already determined as she gazed down at the little pink bundle in what was labeled Bed 1. Rory. So alert and angelic._

 ** _"She's tiny,"_** _Christopher commented. Luke fought the urge to snort._

 ** _"She's perfect,"_** _Lorelai nearly sang the words._

 ** _"So... I guess we should get married."_**

* * *

 _The scene shifted, hurtling Luke through time and space. He suddenly found himself in another hospital room, another woman screaming as she went through the pains of labor. At first, he thought he was witnessing Rory's birth again, like a tape had been put into rewind._

 _Except the woman now straining before him was not Lorelai. It was_ _ **Anna**_ _. The Anna he had known. Pretty soon, the cries of another little girl pierced the living world..._

 _Luke suddenly found himself in the lobby of the hospital. Anna was filling out some paperwork, a baby April in a car seat at her feet._

 ** _"Now, dear, are you sure you want to leave the Father space blank?"_** _the nurse on hand was asking her._

 ** _"It's for the best,"_** _Anna said simply, her eyes flashing like steel. But even behind that mask, Luke could detect the faintest hint of sadness. Anna now turned to the bundle that was April, picking it up and rocking it._ _ **"Just you and me, baby..."**_

* * *

Luke sat up in bed with a start, panting, sweating. It was pitch-black in the master bedroom, so that he could barely see his hand in front of his face. The sheen of perspiration on his brow started to drip into his mouth, and only then did he realize that the salt he now tasted was not from sweat. It was from his _tears_ \- sharper, saltier. The taste seemed to burn his mouth, almost.

Flopping back into the mattress, he turned his face into his pillow, letting the tear tracks stain there... only to find himself nose-to-nose with the woman he loved, who now gently kissed his lips. "Luke, honey?"

"It was only a dream," he brushed it off.

She kissed him again. "Tell me." Turning on the bedside table light, the couple sat up in bed together. Luke cleared his throat, blinking back the tears.

"I... I saw you. In the hospital. The night Rory was born."

His fiancé frowned curiously, even as she rubbed his shoulder blades soothingly.

"You were in such pain..."

"That's kind of what happens when you push a tiny human out of you," she tried to crack.

"I'm being serious. Please: just listen?" Luke begged. Wordlessly, Lorelai nodded. "At first, I saw you in the gurney, being wheeled down the hall, in labor. I watched as Rory was born. Then, we were outside in front of a window... and Christopher was there... Rory looked so small, all in pink..."

Lorelai now looked a little stunned. "That wasn't a dream, babe. That actually happened."

Luke glanced to her. "Huh? Really?"

"Christopher didn't show up until a couple hours after I gave birth. He had gone to school, and the guidance counselor dragged him out of class. Made him go to the hospital. He had to walk most of the way, then hopped a bus for the final stretch. Rory was a couple hours old when he got there." She pressed a kiss to his shoulder, then his cheek. "What happened next?"

Luke continued. "I was suddenly in another hospital. Only this time it wasn't you giving birth. It was Anna, bringing April into the world. Then, I saw them being checked out, and Anna telling the nurse on duty that she wanted to leave the Father space on April's birth certificate blank." He couldn't hold it in anymore, resting his head on his knees as he burst into tears.

"I should have been there! I should have been there for both of you! Why wasn't I there?!"

Lorelai pulled her lover into her arms, letting him cry into her nightdress. "Sssh... sssh... you didn't know Rory and I back then... There was nothing you could have done. And you sadly didn't know that Anna was pregnant... None of this is your fault. Sssh..." A sudden thought struck her. "Babe, is this about what you were saying the other day? That knowing about April and Anna made you feel unfaithful somehow?"

"I don't want to be unfaithful to Rory or to you," Luke murmured. "But I can't not be loyal to April... I won't choose between the three of you, I refuse to..."

Lorelai couldn't believe her ears. "Babe, no one is asking you to choose between any of us! Not April or Rory or me! As long as you love us all equally, we are going to be a real family."

"I promise. I swear it," Luke vowed. "Rory won't be treated any differently than April. I love them both so, so much. They're my kids, they're my daughters."

Lorelai beamed, kissing his forehead. "I love you too, Luke Danes."

"I love you, too, Lorelai. You have no _idea_ how much."

* * *

 _The car sped down the highway, barely staying in its appropriate lane. Inside the vehicle, two young girls were screaming at each other, clearly in anger. All at once, the girl driving lost control of the wheel, and the car flipped, over and over again, each and every crunch of metal more sickening. The car finally plowed horizontally into a tree, bursting into flames..._

* * *

"NOOOOOOO!"

Lorelai Gilmore screamed as she came into the consciousness world, the light from the flames still blinding her eyes until she realized it was the bedside table light frantically turning on. As her fiancé gathered her into his arms.

"Lorelai... Lorelai!"

"My girls... my beautiful girls..." Lorelai whimpered into his bare chest, his chest hairs tickling her face. "They crashed Rory's Toyota Prius into a tree... lost control... Fire everywhere... Oh God, Luke!"

"Sssh... sssh... Rory and April are fine... they are downstairs in Rory's room, asleep. Want me to show you?"

At Lorelai's quivering nod, Luke picked her up, bridal-style and held her against his chest as he carried her downstairs. Opening the door just off the kitchen a crack, the couple observed their daughters, bathed in moonlight - Rory snug in her bed, April atop an mattress on the floor. Luke's daughter was there for a sleepover night, as a sort of test run for when she would eventually be living there full-time. Rory was home from Yale for the weekend.

Softly, Luke returned his fiancé to the bed they shared. "There now, you see? Our daughters are safe and sound in bed."

"Then why am I seeing them dead? Every night... all the time... I dream about it! They could die!"

" _Never_!" Luke thundered in a whisper. "That will _never_ happen!"

"You don't know!"

"I _do_ know. Rory and April are good girls, with strong, brilliant heads on their shoulders. I can't predict the future except to say that they will be just fine."

Lorelai's sobs subsided, turning into sniffles. "Your dreams have rubbed off on me, Butch."

"I'll register a complaint with my brain," Luke cracked, heart warmed when he got his fiancé to laugh, just a little.


	5. Chapter 5: What I Want

**Chapter 5: What I Want**

Life in Stars Hollow began to fall into a rhythm for Lorelai and Luke. After much discussion, the couple decided not to postpone their June 3rd summer wedding. Around the springtime, April permanently moved into Number 37, Maple Street. It was an emotional goodbye for her when her Uncle Steve dropped her off; they hugged for a long while.

"You be a good girl," Steve told her. "Your father knows what he's doing. And if you ever need any advice, Lorelai and Rory are on hand."

April sniffled and wiped her nose noisily on her sleeve. "Promise me you'll call once a week? I want updates on your big project."

"Of course, every Friday night, as we agreed," Steve promised. He kissed her forehead. "Enjoy yourself, sweetheart." He gratefully shook hands with both Lorelai and Luke.

"Please come to visit as often as you can, Steve," Lorelai expressed.

"You can count on it."

June 3rd finally arrived. Luke and Lorelai were married under the chuppah that Luke had carved for her oh so long ago, for a wedding to another man. The immediate after-party was held under the town gazebo, with Hep Alien DJing, before moving on to a more formal reception up the hill at the Dragonfly Inn. Rory and April looked beautiful in their periwinkle flower girl dresses. And Luke treasured the sight of Kirk and a drunk Taylor getting into a food fight over who got the first piece of sliced wedding cake.

As Lorelai, Luke, Rory and April posed for pictures, the diner owner felt blissfully happy. He had a family. A daughter. A stepdaughter. And the love of his life as his wife.

* * *

The bliss of the familial union would soon die down, however. April began preparing for her first year at Chilton - after much discussion, Luke, Lorelai and Steve had agreed that the commute to Martin Van Buren Middle School in Woodbridge was too much. And though Chilton and Hartford wasn't exactly a skip through the daisies, it was still closer to Stars Hollow.

April was dutiful in helping around the house, always polite, but lately, Lorelai had noticed that her stepdaughter was feeling a little sullen. There was a distinct slump to her shoulders in most things she did. Even preparing for school - normally one of her favorite things - left her moody. Lorelai thought April would have been excited - she had secured a spot into the prestigious school on Rory's recommendation. Being vouched for by, and related by marriage to, the school's former Valedictorian had surely gone a long way. By the time the school year finally began, April would pour herself into her studies upon coming home, shutting herself up in her room without so much as a few words about how her day went.

Everything unexpectedly came to a head around the middle of October. Luke was still not back from the Diner, and Rory was expected to be home for dinner as part of a weekend home. Lorelai decided to start preparing a meal.

"April?" she called. "What would you like for dinner, sweetie?"

April barely glanced up from her Cultural Anthropology textbook. "Do whatever you want."

"But I want your input," Lorelai pressed. "Cause, you know, I can't cook my way out a paper bag the way your dad can."

"Does it matter?" April shrugged. "You'll decide no matter whether you get my opinion or not."

At this, Lorelai frowned, her parental senses tingling. "OK: what's going on? Spill."

April pretended to think about it, and frowned. "I don't think you have a right to know."

Now, Lorelai was starting to get annoyed. "Actually, I think I do. I'm your stepmother - the adult in the house. Remember what those are?"

April nodded simply, but it was tight; there was clear line to her jaw.

"Come on out of there and let's get down to business. I want to know what's bothering you."

April stalked from her room. "Well, this is a first."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

The sound of the front door opening made them both turn. "Lorelai, I'm home!"

"And he comes bearing gifts!" Rory's voice followed. Both she and Luke nearly bounded into the kitchen, excited for the whole family to be together. However, father and stepdaughter immediately paused, sensing the tension in the room.

"What's happening here?" Luke inquired.

"You never ask about what I want!" April blasted out suddenly, picking up on the thread of the conversation as if Luke and Rory had never entered.

Luke's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me, young lady? You wanna run that by me again?" Both of the Gilmore girls had heard that edge to his voice before; Luke used to get that way with Jess.

"Gladly," April countered. "Did it ever occur to you or Lorelai to ask me what I wanted out of this new family? This new situation? Because I have been living here for seven months, going to a brand new school where the kids pretend I'm not even there, and then coming home to a town that looks like it was transplanted out of a Disneyland theme park! But did you ever ask me if that was what I wanted? No..."

Luke crossed his arms over his chest, now mirroring his daughter. And in this moment, Lorelai caught a glimpse of just how much the pair resembled each other. Mutual defiance made them alike. "And is that what you wanted?"

"Maybe it would have been, if you had asked me FIRST!" April shouted. "But no, it was you and Uncle Steve who thought it was a good idea to uproot me from my school and my friends! It was you and Uncle Steve who thought it was better for me to be here in Stars Hollow than in Woodbridge with him! It was you and Lorelai who up and got married without checking with me if I was OK with it. It was Rory who got me into Chilton, and all I have to hear in the halls all day long is 'Rory this' and 'Rory that' and 'Oh my gosh, Rory Gilmore is your sister? I LOVE her!' and they don't even think that maybe I'm my own person too? That I might not be as perfect as Rory is?"

Rory's mouth now fell open. "I am not..."

"Your sister is not perfect. Nobody..." Luke tried to talk over her at the same time.

"Oh, don't give me that!" April snapped. "You never shut up about her, Dad! You're always reading her articles - hell, you laminated one onto the back of your menu, while my award-winning science project is sitting in the corner. And the only reason it's there is that I called Uncle Steve and asked him to bring it over! Look, I know she got a bad rap with her own father. I get it, I do. But I share your blood! Can't she and I at least be equal?"

"You _are_ equal!" Luke thundered in offense.

Rory decided now was the perfect time to jump in. She gently threw an arm over April's shoulder. "Come with me."

"Where are you going?" Luke demanded.

"For a drive, Daddy Luke. She needs to cool off, we all do."

Luke softened, relenting. Rory had always been rather intuitive about giving other people space.

The stepsisters got into Rory's Toyota Prius and sped off through town, soon leaving the Stars Hollow limits behind.

"Where are we going?" April sulked, though her voice was significantly quieter.

"Wherever," Rory replied. There was silence in the car for a few moments. At last, the older girl ventured into the lion's den. "You want to pull yourself together and tell me what's wrong?"

"You wouldn't understand," April muttered.

"Yeah? Try me. You and I are more alike than you think."

Wrong thing to say. April let out a sarcastic bark of a laugh that sent chills up Rory's spine. This was not the April she knew and cared about. "Oh, no we're not! I've already heard the whole story of how Daddy has been feeding you since you were ten! You wanna know what my daddy was doing for me when I was ten? Nothing, that's what, because he didn't know I existed!"

"Your dad would have moved heaven and earth for you if he knew about you, you know that!" Rory protested.

"It wouldn't have been new for him. He already got to do it, he already got to have his perfect little angel daughter."

Rory now started to get frustrated. "I got you into Chilton!" she hissed. "I had to go up against a headmaster who doesn't exactly like me and vouch for you!"

"Someone who doesn't like you?" April scoffed. "I gotta hear how that happened."

"You know what, contrary to what you might assume, April, I'm not the perfect idol that everyone in town makes me out to be!"

"Then you're painfully naive," April quipped. "You're the inspiring success story. The fairy-tale princess who reads books and has the boys fall at her feet and has little woodland animals twittering around your head! And no matter what I do, I'm always going to be in your shadow! And I HATE it!" Clearly winded, she slouched back in the passenger seat. "Turn around, I wanna go home."

Rory laughed derisively. "Oh, _now_ I'm supposed to do what you want?"

" _Ask_ me what I want, not _do_ what I want," April corrected. "But in case you wanted to know, what I want is to go home."

"Not until you've calmed down," Rory said with a small dash of sternness.

April suddenly shifted towards her. "Give me the wheel."

"What? No! What are you doing? I'm driving!"

"Either turn around right now, or give me the wheel!"

"Not until you're sixteen and nicer, you little -"

"LOOK OUT!" April's scream alerted Rory to the deer that had suddenly appeared in the road ahead of them. Throwing April back from where they had been grappling for the wheel, Rory tried to swerve to avoid it. She had already been hit by a deer once before. This time, she missed it, but barely, so that she lost control of the car and it flipped into the country field, turning over once, twice before coming to rest against a tree, which caught their tumble and landed the vehicle right side up. Flames burst into being, licking up the hood. Trapped in her seat and her door braced shut by the tree trunk, April felt herself sliding into unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 6: Forgiveness

**Chapter 6: Forgiveness**

Luke Danes sprinted into St. Joseph's hospital, his wife hot on his heels. Even though it was the middle of the night, he would fight through sheer exhaustion and a thousand other things to be where he needed to be right now.

The police call had come in as dinner was being finished, just as the adults were wondering if their daughters would be back soon, with April hopefully calmed down. Upon hearing the news, Lorelai had let out a blood-curdling wail and collapsed to the ground, her husband barely catching her. It was her worst nightmare come to life, and she knew it, too, appearing shaken and silently subdued all the way to the hospital. At one point, she had conked out against the window, allowing Luke to do most of the worrying. He gladly did so, hating to see his love in any distress.

Luke now threw himself at the receptionist desk. "Lorelai Leigh Gilmore and April Elizabeth Nardini! Where are they?"

"Sir, I need your name, please -"

"Luke Danes; I'm their father, dammit!"

"OK, sir, I know you're upset, but we have to get you processed and checked in..."

"No, no, you don't understand - those are my daughters in there!" Luke roared. "You're going to go in there and tell those doctors to stick their hospital policies firmly up their asses, and you're gonna let me go back there and hold my little girls' hands!" He broke down sobbing against the desk. "Please... I need to know they're OK... it can't end like this..."

Despite all previous professional experience, Luke's vehemence left the nurse on call scrambling to obey. It was not even five minutes later when a doctor started to call Luke's name, only to be almost shoved aside as Luke and Lorelai charged into the ward, scarcely hearing the room number shouted after them.

It was a spacious room, with two beds. Rory and April were lined up side-by-side, hooked up to monitors and IVs. Rory appeared awake and alert; upon seeing her, Lorelai broke into relieved sobs and launched herself at her daughter.

"Mom!"

"Oh my baby... oh..." Lorelai covered Rory's face with kisses. "What happened?"

"We almost hit a deer, I tried to avoid it and the car flipped. April gave me just enough warning, otherwise it could have been worse."

Luke rushed to embrace his stepdaughter, before turning to April, who appeared unresponsive. "Is she...?"

"She had a pulse when I checked her," Rory murmured quietly.

Luke rushed around the other side of the far bed and clutched April's tiny hand in his own. To have only just found her, only to possibly lose her again, forever. "Sweetheart... please come back. Please open your eyes..."

It was as though Luke's voice was magic. The beeping of the monitors rapidly shifted in pace, as April stirred and emerged from the netherworld. She coughed once.

"Dad?"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Luke sighed out.

April tilted her head to one side, with what must have been great effort, to observe Rory. "Rory?"

Rory smirked. "Hey, kid."

"How... how did we get here?"

"You were knocked out by the crash, honey," Rory soothed gently. I had to get your seat belt unfastened and pull you out my end. Your door was pinned against the tree; it wouldn't budge."

April stared, vaguely remembering the flames. The smoke... she could still smell it. "Great. Just what I needed: my own version of Double Jeopardy."

Rory frowned. "The show or the movie?"

"Which do you think?" The two girls shared a brief chuckle. A pause, and then: "You pulled me out? You sacrificed yourself for me?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I? I... I love you."

"I was so horrible to you... and our parents..." Tears shimmered and leaked from the little girl's eyes. She broke down, her body heaving with sobs. Ever conscientiousness, Luke placed a tender hand on his daughter's arm.

"Easy... the monitors..."

"I'm sorry!" April wept. "I've been so horrible... and ungrateful... and... and..."

Luke fiercely kissed her forehead. "Let's not talk about it anymore for right now," he murmured. "Your stepmother and I are just happy you're OK..." An idea occurred to him. "Do you want anything? Anything at all?"

April smiled gently. "I want a Luke's burger, please."

Luke burst into laughter. "I'll call Caesar right now!"

"Luke!" his wife admonished. "It's the middle of the night!"

"Then he better hurry! My daughter wants a burger!"

April giggled, but then her eyes met Lorelai's and she faltered. Wilted, almost. Lorelai sent her an expression full of overflowing love.

"I forgive you, sweetie."

Rory's hand brushed her stepsister's. Their eyes locked. "I forgive you, too. Sisters?"

April beamed, gulping down another sob. "Sisters."

* * *

Rory was released from the hospital the very next day. Due to her injuries being more extensive, not the least of which was a broken rib, April was finally discharged about a week later.

From then on, there was a palpable, permanent shift in the interactions of the Danes-Gilmore-Nardini household. April was much more amicable and sweet, willing to open up. Once again, she began to talk with enthusiasm about her scientific endeavors, which left her parents feeling greatly relieved. And for their part, Luke, Lorelai and Rory all made a better effort to ask April about her thoughts and feelings. What she wanted. It seemed to everyone in the family that their April was back.

Except in one way. Whenever April would politely ask for something, she would do so meekly. Usually prefaced with phrases such as... "If it's not too much trouble...: or "I would so appreciate it if...", she was suddenly very humbling and careful. When she asked Lorelai politely for a glass of juice one evening, when the two of them were alone, her stepmother felt the need to broach the subject that had been weighing on her.

"April? Can I ask you something?"

"Ask away, Lorelai."

"Why do you feel the need to be so careful when asking for things? You know your daddy and sister and I would do anything for you."

Silence for a moment, as April squirmed, trying and failing to look her stepmother in the eye from where they were seated on the couch. The little girl wrung her hands in her lap, looking down at her fingers. "I just feel like I don't always deserve it. After..."

Lorelai's eyes widened in understanding, as her features softened with care. "We've been over this, April. Rory and Dad and I forgive you. That's in the past. And in some ways, it wasn't you. I know that's not my April." She now tilted her head to one side, studying the preteen. "We've forgiven you, April. But I wonder... if you have forgiven yourself?"

April's gaze suddenly locked onto hers, her lip quivering. There. Lorelai knew she had hit the nail right on the head, for in the next moment, April came apart, bawling her eyes out.

"Aw..." Lorelai pulled her shaking body into her lap and rocked her stepdaughter gently. April felt awkward, over sized. Not worthy.

"Forgive yourself... let it out... forgive yourself..." Lorelai soothed.

"I miss my mom..."

"I know, baby... I know..."

"Lorelai?"

"Hmmm?"

"... I love you."

"Oh, and I you, every day and every hour..."

After a few minutes, with a deep, shuddering breath, April relaxed in the warm embrace. Finally, for perhaps the first time since her mother's death, she was at peace.


	7. Chapter 7: Beaches and Boys

**Chapter 7: Beaches and Boys**

"Why are we going to the beach? It's the middle of winter!" Lorelai felt the need to remind everyone yet again, as Luke pulled the green truck up beside a stretch of beach off Cape Cod.

"Because we need to get out of the house. Besides, beaches are naturally warmer, no matter the season." Luke dryly pointed out.

Rory eyed the waves warily as she stepped out of the car; they were crashing plenty, and looked to be at about high-tide. "Then why are we wearing our bathing suits? We're not going swimming, are we?"

"Hi, I've already seen my baby girls in the hospital; we don't need a repeat where you all get hypothermia," Luke growled. "I just figured... less clothing means more tanning."

Rory grinned and kissed his cheek. "You're too good to us, Daddy Luke!"

"God help me," Luke groaned. But his eyes were twinkling.

Luke's instincts were right. Upon Lorelai starting an impromptu foot race with no warning, Luke's three girls were racing onto the sand, their peals of laughter calling back to him as he trudged after them, carrying all the bags, naturally. He grunted with the effort to heave one tote bag off his shoulder and onto the laid-out towel.

"April, why did you need to bring your science stuff again?"

"The microscope is to observe tiny organisms in the tide pools."

"Uh huh," Luke grunted, holding up a telescope with his eyebrows raised. "And this?"

"OK, that was me!" Rory squeaked, snatching it away.

"So she can keep a lookout for cute boys," Lorelai threw over her shoulder from the lawn chair strategically placed under the umbrella.

Rory gasped. "Spy!" She pointed an accusing finger at her mother.

"Peeping Tom!"

Luke's jaw clenched as his face slowly started to turn purple. "There will be no dating!" he snapped. "From either of you!" pointing between Rory and April.

Rory's jaw dropped. "I'm 21 years old, thank you very much! With a boyfriend. And I've lost my virginity!" She clapped a hand over her mouth at what she just said.

Luke's one eye twitched, as he tried to hold his grumpiness in. Dropping the rest of their gear in a heap at his feet, he promptly did an about-face. "Excuse me while I go track down Dean and kill him."

"Ooh, that's seven shades of red right there!" Lorelai giggled.

"You're enjoying this far too much!" Luke shouted back to her.

Rory rolled his eyes. "Daddy Luke, I'm going to keep dating. Someday, I'll even get married."

Luke jumped about a foot in the air as he spun around. "You will not! I won't let you! And that boy better come to me with a ring and on his hands and knees first!"

Rory's eyebrow quirked. "Or what?"

A pause. And then Luke suddenly stalked towards Rory. Eyes widening in understanding, his stepdaughter tried to dance away.

"No... no... No!" Luke swept Rory off her feet, cradling her like a baby as he sprinted towards the waves. When April tried to stop him, he simply threw her over his shoulder and continued his solid march towards and even into the water. Rory and April screamed, now clinging to him desperately to avoid even getting one toe freezing cold.

"That's what I thought," Luke grunted, racing back out and setting his girls down as he seized a towel.

Lorelai frowned in mock disapproval. "You're an evil, evil Daddy."

"But you love me," Luke pecked his wife's lips once before she could object.

* * *

It was a busy first day back to classes for April's 7th grade year at Chilton. She had already made many friends over the past semester, and was looking forward to having many fond memories from this place. Rory was free and eager to give her sister advice about how to navigate these hallowed halls, and the former Valedictorian even admitted she was jealous that April got double the time there than she did.

Clutching her books to her chest, April was on the main staircase, when she bumped into someone.

"Oh, hey! Glad I ran into you!"

April looked up and froze when she saw her crush. Sean Fahey. He had been in a couple of her classes last semester, but this semester, they were on different schedules.

"Hi, Sean," April managed to get out, smiling in a lovesick way.

"How was your winter break?"

"It was good. My family and I went to the beach. I studied the structural make-up of tide-pool organisms," chastising herself as soon as she said it for sounding too nerdy.

Sean blinked once, but then laughed. That was April, and a part of him enjoyed hopelessly trying to catch up to her. Glancing away shyly, the pictures of past Chilton Valedictorians caught his eye, one in particular. "Is that your sister? It looks like she could be."

April nearly laughed when she saw he was pointing to Rory's portrait. "It is, actually. My sister, Rory." At one time, she would have avoided any conversation about her stepsister, but now took Rory's lingering presence at the school as a source of personal pride.

Sean grinned. "Really? I can see the resemblance." This actually made April blush. If her father were here, he would grin smugly and puff out his chest with pride. Oftentimes, people mistook Rory and April for actual sisters. One time, when April was out with Lorelai shopping, a woman stopped them to expressly say, "Your daughter looks exactly like you!"

Sean now suddenly seemed to be very nervous as he got out quite quickly. "I want to ask you something!"

April chuckled nervously. "OK..."

"Would you like to go to a movie with me sometime?"

April nearly fainted dead away. Taking a deep breath, she beamed and nodded. "I'd like that very much! I know a great place."

"Yeah?" Sean's grin nearly broke his face as he leaned against one pillar, trying to act cool. "Where?"

"Read, White and Black Theater, Stars Hollow. Friday night, 7:00. I'll make sure that Kirk lets you in."

"I'll be there," Sean promised.

April moved for the school doors, waiting until she was outside before letting out a squeal.

* * *

Friday night, Sean and April strolled back from the theater in Stars Hollow and up the quiet walk in front of Number 37, Maple Street.

"That Kirk is quite a fellow," Sean chuckled in bemusement.

"He is. My daddy has expressed an interest in killing him on a number of occasions."

"And that film... he really made it himself?"

"It's one of his better ones. You haven't lived until you've seen the one about the cat!"

They were on the front porch, with only a single light on. April had timed her date perfectly, for when her family was at her step-grandparents for Friday Night Dinner. Luke and Lorelai were there; Rory, feeling sick, had begged off for the week. At least her sister would be home.

She was thinking so much, that she almost missed it. Sean suddenly bent and kissed her right on the mouth. Not sure what to do, April let her scientific mind shut off and went purely on instinct, leaning in and kissing him back. So there was no miscommunication.

Sean broke the kiss at last, looking oddly relieved. "Good night."

"G... Good night," April stammered with a small smile, still in disbelief. She almost floated in through the front door...

... and nearly got tackled by a squealing Rory. "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod! Spill: all of it! Now!"

Squealing, the sisters jumped up and down, scurrying to the couch. All at once, Rory unexpectedly hit her stepsister on the arm.

"Ow! Jeez, what was that for?!"

"You said you were going to the Diner to check if Caesar had closed up!"

"I did... on the way to the Read, White and Black."

Rory shrieked. "I saw it all through the window! Man, what a cutie! The bashful types always are! So: what happened? How did this happen?"

"He asked me out the other day after school." April giggled. "It was funny because we were standing right under your portrait, and he even asked if you and I were related."

"An impeccable transition move," Rory praised.

"We went to see one of Kirk's films, he walked me home. And before I knew it... he kissed me!"

Rory sighed and lunged for the phone. "I gotta tell Mom!"

"No!" April yelped, intercepting her. "Please, don't! She'll tell Daddy, and he'll murder Sean!"

"OK," Rory bargained. "But we can't leave Mom high and dry. She'll keep a secret, and then break it to Daddy Luke gently."

April looked skeptical. "He'll still kill him, though, no matter how much time goes by."

"That's nothing. Your dad beat up my first boyfriend in the street, and then got into a fight with him over a Bop It! And he nearly murdered my third boyfriend when he caught us making out!"

April frowned. "What happened to the _second_ boyfriend?"

"Oh, that was Jess."

"Jess? Jess our-cousin Jess?"

"Yeah."

"Ew." April made a face.

* * *

"OK, time for the lovely family of four to get in front of the backdrop!" the photographer corralled.

It was spring time in Stars Hollow... and Lorelai was finally getting around to sending out their months-belated Christmas card. She was largely doing so just to shut her mother up, who had proceeded to arrange for a photographer to come and take the Danes-Gilmore-Nardini family picture.

"All right, so... Mother here, Dad beside her, daughter center left and stepdaughter..."

"Daughter," Rory suddenly interrupted.

The photographer blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm his eldest daughter," Rory firmly repeated.

The photographer rolled with it. "OK, then: and other daughter center right."

As they got into position, Rory glanced to Luke, who she now found was trying not to cry and ruin the shot.

"I want you to drop the _step_ in stepdaughter. Will you have me?" she whispered quietly to him.

Luke gulped heavily. "Of course I will," her father said.


	8. Chapter 8: There Goes My Life

**Chapter 8: There Goes My Life**

Luke frowned as he fiddled with the light switch one more time. Behind him, April tapped her foot, only mildly annoyed but trying not to show it.

"Dad, stop it..."

"I'm just trying to make sure it's up to code!" Luke answered back. Finding nothing, he gave it a final tap. "It's fine. Can't even tell." He threw an arm over her shoulder. "Come on. Your mother's waiting in the car."

" _Second_ mother," April corrected.

"You know who I meant!" Luke laughed.

April was about to start her first semester at MIT. In the years since, she had followed Rory's lead and asked Lorelai in a heartfelt request to adopt her. Lorelai had tearfully and readily agreed. Rory was living in D.C. now, 27 years old and working as a columnist. She had driven up to help April move in.

Lorelai and Rory were just slamming the back trunk shut - an easier task with the space all empty - and turned as Luke and April walked up.

"Hey!" Lorelai objected as her husband sashayed right past and unlatched the trunk again. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure we didn't forget anything," Luke growled. "Now say goodbye to your daughter."

Rory and April fiercely hugged.

"Enjoy it all! College is a great time in your life. Let everybody know that my sissy is a genius like me!" Rory urged.

"A _pretty_ sissy," April embellished, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I've perfected the hair flip!"

"Ooh, speaking of flips, wear the flippy skirt to every party!" Lorelai advised.

"There will be no parties!" Luke snapped, his voice muffled as he called from inside the trunk. "And no drinking until you're of age! And no dating!"

Lorelai pinched her thumb and forefinger together, giving April permission to do a little drinking. "Just make sure it's above board."

"Dating is never above board!" Luke bellowed, still stubbornly in the trunk.

"Hi, I'm your wife, and I married you because you knew how to give a gal a good time," Lorelai waved a hand in her husband's face.

"Yeah, Dad," April rolled her eyes. "And she was talking about drinking, not dating. I'll be too busy to date! I already had my first kiss when I was twelve." She slapped a hand over her mouth in horror, but too late. "Why did I say that?"

There was a THUD and a roar of pain as Luke hit his head on the ceiling of the Jeep. "You what?" When nothing was forthcoming, he growled, "April Elizabeth...!"

April turned back to her sister. "And you make sure to give that future fiance of yours a squeeze for me. When are you telling Daddy?"

"Soon," Rory smiled. "Besides, I'll do the Rory pout. You how easy Dad is when he's in his sappy mode."

"My _what_?" Luke poked his head out of the trunk, sending his daughters into peals of giggles. He climbed out and slammed the back door to the Jeep Wrangler shut. "You're good to go."

Final hugs were exchanged, Lorelai holding on a little longer until Luke had to gently extract her. "My baby..."

Father and daughter regarded each other. Luke tried to start, stopped and cleared his throat. "I, uh... I'll always be here for you."

April and Luke fiercely embraced, before the new freshman bounded up the stairs to her dorms, turning around to give her family one final wave. Lorelai was not even bothering to hide the tears anymore, and Luke was just watching with a sad smile, as he thought:

 _There goes my life... there goes my future. My everything. I love you. Baby, goodbye..._


End file.
